Co-curators / Craig Miller and Yuki Nakamura

Hardline Organics – part two
a tale of absurd optimism

Jenny Heishman
Etsuko Ichikawa
Craig Miller
Saya Moriyasu
Yuki Nakamura

June 1 – July 1, 2006

Hardline Organics Part Two – a tale of absurd optimism is an immersive and transformative installation. Keying in on the concept of absurd optimism the gallery is an interactive space alive with; object, sound and projection. The idea of absurd optimism plays off the ideal of futurism we grew up with, melded with our own current artistic sensibilities. The altered space is a new world of our own creation, with architectural elements that invite the viewer to explore the space and the future that is now. The work is an exciting collaboration between the artists, ambitious in concept, design and realization. A not to be missed exhibition that only SOIL can deliver.

Hardline Organics will make manifest SOIL's mission in the form of an exhibition. This will be an opportunity to emphasize SOIL's commitment to presenting the work of challenging art regardless of commercial viability and increase the public appreciation and understanding of contemporary art. This project will also bring together past and present SOIL members between 1995 and Present.

Hardline Organics Part One took place at SOIL Backspace Gallery in January 2006. Artists created different elements and then other artists were invited to attach their own additions much like the Surrealist notion of the exquisite corpse.

Participating Artists
All 5 participating artists in Hardline Organics are past and present SOIL members and work with multi and mixed media creating large scale installations:

Craig Miller (membership 1995-2000) is a lead curator for Hardline Organics. He is one of the original SOIL founders and has been involved in multiple shows at SOIL, including: Inside the Lining of the Erikson Building (1997) (transformed SOIL's, soon-to-be-demolished building, into an interior of breathing architecture) and 6 Really Great Round Beakers (2001) (transformed SOIL's third space, cellular and intimate, into a laboratory). Miller is a multi-disciplinary artist with a background of Architecture and Urban Design.

Yuki Nakamura (1998-current) is a co-curator for Hardline Organics. Nakamura is a Japanese-born sculptor focused on using ceramic medium to create sculptural and installation pieces relating to physical spaces. Her upcoming projects include a collaboration project the 2006 New Works Laboratoryorganized by the 911 Media Arts Center and the Henry Art Gallery and a solo show at Peeler Art Center in Spring 2007 (DePauw University, IN). Nakamura is the recipient of the Joshibi Excellent Work and Research Fellowship (Tokyo), the Artist Trust Fellowship (Seattle, WA) and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (New York). Other honors for Nakamura have included residencies at Novara Arte Cultula (Italy), La Napoule Art Foundation (France) as well as Centrum Creative Residency (Port Townsend, WA). Nakamura is represented by Howard House Contemporary Art (Seattle, WA).

Etsuko Ichikawa (2004-current) is a Tokyo born visual artist. Her work is a continuing investigation of what lies between the ephemeral and the eternal, and psychology has been her primary source of inspiration. Her recent and upcoming projects include a large-scale installation at Bumbershoot in September 2005, a scenic design for Degenerate Art Ensemble at the Moore Theatre in March 2006, and a solo show at Gallery4Culture in April 2007. She is a recipient of PONCHO Artist in Residence awards and 4Culture Arts Special Projects grants, and is a member of SOIL Artist Collective.

Saya Moriyasu (1996-1998, 2006-current) has worked on collaborative art installations at the Bellevue Art Museum, SOIL and Gallery4Culture. Her inspirations range from interior design, consumerism to the natural world. Collaborative projects are a way to expand and meld ideas with other artists to create unique experiences. Saya's studio work is created by making individual art pieces out of clay and placing them together to create a single sculpture. She has had solo exhibitions at Platform Gallery, Richard Hugo House, and SOIL. In Fall 2006, she has a solo exhibition at Gallery4Culture.

Jenny Heishman (2000-2002) has been living and working as a sculptor in Seattle since completing graduate school at Ohio University in 1999. She was a member of SOIL Artist Cooperative for two years from 2000 until 2002. Her solo exhibit at SOIL, air space, received critical reviews in local publications as well as the national Sculpture Magazine. In 2000, she was an emerging artist resident at Atlantic Center for the Arts with Charles Ray and Jennifer Pastor and in fall of 2005 was in residence at Pilchuck School of Glass. Jenny is the recipient of both a GAP grant and the 4Culture artist Special Projects Grant. She is represented by Howard House Contemporary, Seattle, WA.

Click here to read The Stranger arts writer Jen Graves' blog on the exhibition.

Hardline Organics is supported in part from 4Culture Arts Special Projects Program grant.